Active array antenna systems provide the problem of how to simultaneously blind mount many RF connector interfaces between, say, the transmit/receive modules and the radiating elements.
A conventional contact is known as a "Gilbert" (TM) contact, which consists of a male pin that is soldered or brazed to the next level assembly. The mating contact is a pin opened up allowing the male pin to slide into it. Although widely accepted by industry, it requires a pin to be soldered or brazed at the next level of interconnect. It would therefore represent an advance in the art to provide an RF connector which does not require any special mating provisions except for a pad area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,456 describes a self-aligning blind-mate RF push-on connector, but is larger than required for some applications.
It would therefore represent an advance in the art to provide a significantly smaller RF interconnect device, which is light and requires a less complex housing.